7 Days
by A Girl Named Ed
Summary: After an accident involving Hikari and his crystal ball, Wizard finds himself living on the ranch for a week. Wizard x Hikari with warnings of severe fluff. *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1: The Accident

**Helloooo, it's Ed again! I wrote this whole story over the course of two days, then edited it in about one. It's quite cheesy, because that's what I'm best at writing (fail). I'll be posting one chapter a day except on weekends. Please review it!**

***I do not own Harvest Moon...okay, I own AP and SI, but that's not quite the same thing...***

Part 1–The Accident

"Hi, Wizard!"

Wizard sighed as the ever-cheery Hikari strode beaming into his house. _How can she be so annoying and so cute at the same time? I simultaneously want to kick her out and hug her..._ He kept his face as stony as ever, though, when he said, "Hello."

"I brought you another Fugue Mushroom!" she chirped, pulling the blue-and-pink mushroom out of her rucksack and handing it to him. He couldn't suppress a small smile as he took it. How could he, when he knew she went out of her way every day to search the Fugue Forest and find him one? The smile quickly dropped from his face at her next question. "Um...c-could you read Owen's heart for me?"

Wizard nodded and began to prep the crystal ball on the table in front of him. Ever since Hikari had helped him get it back, he'd read Owen's heart for her. He knew she was hopelessly in love with the boy, and for some reason that made him feel sad. But in the past couple of weeks, he'd made the discovery that Owen was starting to like Kathy, the girl who helped her dad Hayden run the bar in town. He never wanted to hurt poor, innocent Hikari, especially when she was always giving him things and coming to visit every day when no one else ever did, so he hadn't told her. Instead, he simply mumbled that he thought of her as a good friend and that a good gift for him would be a Coconut Cocktail.

"Wizard?" He looked up to see her looking at him with a somewhat concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yes..." he mumbled, flustered. "I'm going to read his heart now." He waved his hands a little to build up power, but just as the ball began to glow, she lunged across the table towards him.

Startled, he stumbled back as the spell went out of control and hit her full force in the stomach, sending her flying to the ceiling. Wizard ran to catch her and she fell into his arms. After getting her wind back, she grinned up at him. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Are you alright?" he asked, setting her back on her feet.

"I think so," she replied, steadying herself on the table. "No permanent damage."

"Then what were you thinking?!" he bellowed. "You put yourself in serious jeopardy there! If I hadn't gotten ahold of that spell when I did, you could have died! What in the world possessed you to do such a thing?!"

Hikari stood there with her mouth hanging open. Wizard was glaring and pointing at her, his chest heaving, winded after giving such a long, loud, and very uncharacteristic speech. Finally, she hung her head. "I-I'm sorry. I can't tell you."

Wizard sighed and straightened. "Fine. But I'm going to have to ask you to stay here for a few days."

Her head snapped up. "Here?! Why? What about my farm?"

"It's necessary. I need to keep an eye on you to make sure there aren't any side effects. Nosebleeds, headaches, dizziness, and so on. That sort of thing often happens when someone interferes with a spell."

"How long?"

"A week at least."

"At least?! What about my animals? And Ichigo, my cat? And my crops? And–"

"Or I could live with you," Wizard suggested. "If that would be easier." _Please say no,_ he thought. _I have the tools to take care of you here, not there! Please say no, please say no, please say no...wait. Alone...with her...for a week? Who cares where..._ He suddenly found himself changing his wish. _Please say yes, please say yes, please say..._

"Yes, that would be much easier!" she beamed. "You can come over tonight and stay as long as you like!" She headed for the door. "Bye!" she chirped, waving, before she skipped out.

The silver-haired man sank into a chair and rested his head in his hands. _That girl drains so much of my energy...so why can't I wait until I see her again?_


	2. Chapter 2: Friends

**So here's the second chapter. Thanks to everyone who added 7 Days to their story watch and who reviewed! Please continue to R&R! ~Ed**

***I do not own Harvest Moon. Wizard and co. are property of Marvelous and Natsume (lucky dogs)*  
**

Part 2–Friends

Hikari gave Wizard the grand tour of the farm when he arrived later that evening. All of her buildings, she told him proudly, had been upgraded to level 2, so now she had 4 cows, 4 sheep, 2 chickens, 2 ducks, and an orange tabby cat. Because it was summer, she was growing corn, tomatoes, tea leaves, watermelon, and sunflowers, and there were cherries ripening on the five trees on one side of her field. Unfortunately, by the time she was done showing him everything, it was time for dinner, so she sat him at the kitchen table while she cooed up a couple of omelettes. Wizard took the opportunity to look around at the place he'd be staying for the next little while.  
It was an average enough house, not to big, but still kind of roomy. Wizard noticed that there were, quite conveniently, two beds. That'll make things less awkward, he thought. At least we don't have to share a bed like we would at my place. Of course, I'd probably fall asleep on the floor by my telescope around two a.m. like usual anyway.... To one side was a bookshelf, a phone, and a small TV, and behind him was–  
He blinked. Was that a large poster of Owen with hearts around it? This girl's obsessed! he thought, shaking his head and turning his attention back to Hikari. She was bringing over the omelettes and– Is that coffee? Wizard thought, perking up. This might not be so bad after all!

Wizard woke the next morning to see that the bed next to his was empty. Bed? Next to me? Where am I? Then it all came back to him and he looked around for his host. Where'd she wander off to? If those side effects start now, I can't help her! He leapt out of bed, not bothering to braid his hair or change out of his dark purple moon-and-star pyjamas, and rushed out to the farm.  
Hikari was watering her corn. When she saw him, she waved him over. "Opting for a change of style?" she smirked, looking him up and down as he approached.  
He realized that a few of the top buttons on his shirt had come undone in the night, and he hastily did them up as his dark face blushed. "N-no, I...I didn't know where you were, I..." Why am I all flustered? he berated himself. I'm just not used to talking so much, I guess... He looked up to see Hikari's soft smile.  
"You were worried about me?" He nodded, no longer trusting his voice. She laughed. It was a pretty sound. "You don't need to worry. I'm not going to, like, keel over or anything."  
"But–"  
"Look, we're friends, right?"  
Wizard blinked his green and gold eyes. Friends? They were friends? I've never had a real friend... he thought, his jaw a little slack. Then he realized she was waiting for an answer. "Oh, uh, yes," he mumbled.  
"Well, friends trust each other." She took his hands. "I need you to trust me when I say I feel fine."  
Silently cursing as he felt his face go hot again, he nodded. "I...I trust you, Hikari."  
"Good." She let go of his hands and headed for the house. "Okay, time for breakfast! Let's hae something with cherries in it; I got lots today!"  
He could feel a smile creeping onto his face as he followed her. "Will there be any more of that coffee from last night?" he asked quietly.  
"Why, Wizard, I do believe that's the longest sentence I've ever heard you say."

"I'm just teasing. Of course! Let's go!" 


	3. Chapter 3: Bathtime

**Chaptah Threeeeeeeee! This is a completely innocent title!**

***I do not own Harvest Moon*  
**

Part 3–Bathtime

It took Wizard a few days to adjust to Hikari's rigorous routine, but adjust he did. She got up at six, took care of her animals, gathered animal products, and let them outside to graze. Then she watered her plants and shipped what was ready, then went back inside to eat breakfast. (Usually, she made it herself, but Wizard had started helping with the cooking in exchange for letting him stay, so he usually made it while she worked outside.) Then they went to visit her friends in the Garmon Mine district, gathering herbs and mushrooms along the way. Wizard noticed she spent lots of time talking to Owen.

When they were done, they took the mine cart to Harmonica Town and went shopping. She fished most of the morning with Toby, then went to the Ocarina Inn for lunch before dragging him off to the Flute Fields. They would explore the woods, gathering building materials and searching for the ever-elusive Fugue Mushroom for Wizard. They'd return to the farm around five, Hikari would put the animals inside for the night, and Wizard would make dinner while she finished her chores. Finally, they'd both clean up, read a bit, and head for bed.

After about three days of this, Wizard started finding himself falling into her routine. He was okay with that. He liked routines. On the fourth day, though, Hikari decided it was time for a change.

That morning, Wizard woke to the sound of an angry Hikari and even angrier chickens screaming and squawking outside. He got up and looked out the window to see Hikari chasing a chicken with a bucket of soapy water in her hands. Shaking his head, Wizard simply dressed himself in his usual black shirt, creamy pants, and purple robe and walked outside, braiding the long strip of hair next to his face on the way.

"Good...morning," he said as Hikari ran past.

"Hey, Wizard! I decided today would be a good day to get the animals washed, but my chickens seem to disagree!"

"Chickens don't like getting wet..."

"Really? Hadn't noticed. Can you give me a hand? I'll lure them with food, and you douse them!" Wizard nodded–it seemed easy enough–and she handed him the bucket, then dashed for the coop's food supply. She returned, her arms full of ground corn, and crouched in the middle of her field. "Here, chickie chickie chickie," she called, sprinkling some on the ground, and chickens and ducks alike dashed (or waddled, as the case may be) over to her. She nodded to him, and he crept up and doused everything–chickens, ducks, feed, and Hikari.

The ducks flapped their wings happily, the chickens clucked indignantly and tore off again, and the farmer and the wizard stared at each other, frozen. Finally, he broke the silence. "Oops."

She burst out laughing. "Oh, you are so paying for that!" she grinned, grabbing a nearby bucket and soaking him. "WATER FIGHT!"

Wizard wasn't entirely sure what 'water fight' meant, since he'd never been in one before, but he assumed it meant throwing copious amounts of water at other people. So he summoned about the same amount of water as a full bathtub holds over Hikari's head.

SPLASH!

"No fair using magic!" she complained.

"This way, your plants were watered as well," he explained, gesturing to the soaked ground around them. "You have a responsibility to your farm. You need to get things done before you play."

Hikari grinned evilly. "Okay, since you've so kindly watered my plants for me, all my chores are done, so..." She grabbed her watering can. "Let's play!"

And that was how Chloe, who had come to make sure Hikari wasn't sick because she hadn't come to the mines that day, found them: drenched, laughing, and chasing each other around on very wet cows.


	4. Chapter 4: What's in a Name?

**I'm baaaaaack! I know the chapters are kind of short, but please bear with it. I'm best at writing short things. (Maybe I should be writing oneshots instead...oh well.) Here is chapter 4! Please r and r (and that's not rest and relaxation!)**

Part 4–What's in a Name?

While their clothes dried that night, Wizard wore his pyjamas and Hikari wore her casual pink outfit with the side pockets she liked so much. Wizard was washing dishes while Hikari dried, when suddenly a thought occurred to him. I allowed myself to laugh and have fun today...I don't usually do that. He glanced at the brunette drying dishes beside him. She can make me do that. Buy why? Why her?

"Wizard?"

He snapped back to reality and realized he was standing up to his elbows in soapy water, not washing, just staring at Hikari. "Uh, sorry," he muttered, blushing and reaching for another plate.

"We're all done. Are you okay? I mean, you're usually kind of spacey, but not this much."

He shook it–whatever 'it' had been–off and simply said, "No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because–"

"Hikari." He smiled; it came naturally with her now. "Friends trust each other when they say they're fine, right?"

"Oh, don't you go throwing my words back at me!"

Later, they were sitting quietly, him reading one of his astrology books, her watching Sprite Rangers, when Hikari suddenly said, "Do you have another name?"

Blinking in surprise, Wizard dragged himself away from his constellations and looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean besides 'Wizard.' You must have another name. That'd be like Ozzie being named 'Fisherman' or Chase being called 'Cook' or something."

Wizard nodded. "I do have another name, but I just go by 'Wizard' for simplicity."

"What's your other name?"

"You can't pronounce it, I assure you. I can barely pronounce it."

"Then I'll make one up for you."

"Please don't."

"How about...Steve?" Wizard didn't even bother dignifying the ridiculous idea with a response. "Or Bob?" That warranted a withering look. "Maybe Fred."

"Stop trying to give me another name!" he snapped. The whole thing was really getting on his nerves. "My name is Wizard. Okay? W-I-Z-A-R-D. Wizard."

"How about a short form of your full name?"

Wizard actually thought about that for a moment. "Nnnnno."

"Why not?"

"Let me put it this way. The full version is about forty letters. The short version only reduces that by about half." He sighed. "Please, just stick with Wizard."

She sighed. "Oh, okay."

"Why are you trying to give me a new name, anyway?"

"I dunno. It just seems so formal calling you 'Wizard' all the time."

He blinked in surprise. She wanted...to be closer to me?

"...Gale."

"Huh?"

"My master always used to call me Gale. You can too, if you want." Embarrassed, he quickly buried his nose in the book again.

"Really? Why did he call you that?" But Wizard was done talking, and when he was done talking, he was done talking. Hikari shrugged and went back to watching Sprite Rangers. "It's a good name. Gale."

He didn't show it, but secretly, he was very happy. 


	5. Chapter 5: Something More

**Bonus points for anyone who saw the Star Trek moment in Chapter 4! (Yes, I** **went there!) This time, I wanted to kind of explain his tattoo...I'm not sure I did it too well. Please review to let me know!  
It's about half over now...thanks again to everyone who reviewed and added this to their favourites! Please continue to enjoy 7 Days!  
*I don't own Harvest Moon or its characters. Please don't sue me***

Part 5–Something More

That night, Wizard dreamed.

He was in a black space with his master, and he was a boy again; they were apprentice and master again. _Remember, Gale,_ his master said, _you have to master your emotions before they master you._ Then Wizard was grown up again, and his master said, _Gale, you're letting your emotions cloud your eyes. Remember the vows you took when I gave you that tattoo!_ Wizard let his fingers brush the triple-triangle tattoo under his right eye. _You must never get emotionally attached to a human. Never!_

Wizard remembered this dream; he'd had it about a hundred and some odd years ago, when he'd fallen for a pretty girl who understood him like Hikari did. He blinked and realized he was crying. _I'm frustrated,_ he told his master. _I can never know the comfort of another! I can never...be happy._

His master's face softened. _All right. If you can get her to love you back, I will take back that part of our agreement._ He started to fade.

Wizard blushed. _Love? What do you...Master, wait! There's so much more I don't understand!_ But he was gone. In his place was a warm presence, and he reached for the comfort he knew it would provide.

When he opened his eyes early that morning, his vision was all blurry. He could dimly make out a long shape, and he automatically reached out to pull it to him. It was soft and comforting, like his dream last night, and he snuggled closer, burying his face in the sweet-smelling brown hair...

_Wait a minute...hair?_

Wizard's eyes snapped open fully. He tore himself away from Hikari's sleeping form and flung himself back against the wall. Gasping for air, he felt his heart pound out a drum solo in his chest. _What did I...did I just...Hikari...?_

Suddenly he felt his master's presence returning. Sometimes, when the sorcerer needed guidance, his master would be there to help. This seemed to be one such time. _Gale, listen,_ he said into his former pupil's mind. _I have read your heart._ Wizard nodded. _Your heart is confused, but it is also full of love for that girl._

Wizard gazed softly at the sleeping rancher. _I am...in love..with Hi-Hikari?_

_Yes._

And as he watched her, Wizard had no doubt that his master was right. He crawled back to her and brushed hair out of her face. She didn't move, and he smiled.

_Gale, be careful,_ his master warned. _Do not lose yourself to love. It can be the most wonderful thing in the world, or it can cause you much pain. Tread with caution, Gale. I will be watching._ And his presence faded.

After waiting to make sure his master wasn't coming back for any footnotes (he had a tendency to do that), Wizard rubbed a rough thumb across Hikari's smooth face. He glanced at her hands. _They're so small,_ he thought. _How does she do so much work with such...small hands?_ He leaned in to smell her hair again, and his lips accidentally brushed her cheek. He froze, but she didn't seem to wake up, so he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before sitting back up.

Finally, his Sleeping Beauty sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Morning, Gale!" she said happily. "It's a brand-new day today!" She said that every morning, but Wizard didn't mind. He liked the sound of her voice.

Hikari got out of bed and went to her drawers to get some clothes. She slept in an oversized white t-shirt that doubled as a nightgown and (when ironed and worn with a belt around the middle and some skinny jeans) a cute tunic-style dress. Wizard couldn't help noticing that when she bent over to pick up something, he could see her pink underwear. He blushed to the roots of his hair and quickly looked away. _Aarg...I'm in love with her, huh? How'm I supposed to keep that a secret when we live together, and I still have three days to go?_


	6. Chapter 6: Heart

**I apologize for the shortness of the chapter! It was kind of thrown in at the last minute, but yeah. Fail. Anyway, three more chapters to go! Please R&R!  
*I don't own HM***

Part 6–Heart

"What's it like?"

Wizard didn't understand the question, and told her so. It was about eleven-thirty later that day, and they were fishing off the docks in town.

"You know, reading people's hearts. What's it like?"

He thought about it for a bit, then answered slowly. "It's...everyone's heart is shaped like an animal. That animal represents their personality. Then the different colours in the animal represent how they're feeling. Behind the animal are a bunch of people; those are the people that he or she cares about. Their colours represent how the person feels about them."

"Can you give me an example?"

He nodded. "I have Owen's memorized because I read it a lot." Hikari blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Let's see...Owen's animal is a yellow ox, tinged with pink. Ox means strong, but gentle. Yellow means he's happy, and pink is love. His people are obviously Ramsey and Chloe; they're deep purple which means they're his closest family. There's also you–" And here Wizard told a little white lie. "You're pink, which is love." Really, she was pink and blue–mostly blue. Owen was starting to feel that she was more like a good friend, though he hadn't realized it yet. "And finally, there's Luke and Kathy, his two best friends. They're blue for friendship." Another tiny lie: Kathy was slowly becoming pinker by the day.

But Hikari seemed happy with this. "What about your heart?"

"That is the one thing that I am forbidden to read, according to the laws of magic." _Sometimes I wish that law didn't exist,_ he thought miserably. _Sure would make things a lot easier..._

"Oh. Well, what about mine?"

"I need my ball for that. We could go to my house and see; I need to do some dusting anyway." So they packed up Hikari's fishing gear and headed for Wizard's house. Hikari went to buy them lunch at the Ocarina Inn while Wizard dusted off a few things and generally tidied up the place. When Hikari returned, they ate, then Wizard fired up the spell.

"You're not going to jump in this time, right?" She giggled and shook her head. "Okay, I'm going to read your heart then." Wizard was excited; he'd never read her heart before. He'd wanted to many times, of course–he often wondered what she was thinking–but he respected her privacy. He closed his eyes and looked with his mind. "Your animal is a dog," he mumbled without coming out of his trance. "Loyal, friendly, brave, but a little naive at times. It's mostly yellow, with some pink and...some orange, too. That's for confusion." He didn't see it, but she nodded sadly and looked away, like she knew exactly what he was talking about. "And your people..." He almost laughed, but didn't. "Everyone's here! They're mostly blue, but everyone in Castanet is important to you. Oh wait, there's Owen, he's at the front..." _Wait, so am I..._ Wizard looked closer. _And...I'm more pink than Owen?! That can't be right...can it?_ He quickly snapped out of it and the ball stopped glowing. "Uh, Owen's pink," he mumbled. _Don't lie!_ he scolded himself. _You were such a dark shade of pink you were almost red! But Owen was just a deep blue! Tell her!_ But he didn't. He simply stayed silent the rest of the day as Hikari led him around the land of Castanet. 


	7. Chapter 7: Betrayed

**What is it with me and the 7th chapter having something to do with betrayal? In Harvest High, the 7th chapter is called 'Betrayal.' This one is called 'Betrayed.' Seriously, why?  
Anyway, this is, once again, kind of short. I apologize. There are only two more chapters after this one! Please R&R, and thank you to those who have already done so!**

Part 7–Betrayed

The next day passed without incident, but the seventh and final day did not go as planned. Wizard woke up late, cursing his internal alarm for not going off, and leapt into his usual clothes. He'd wanted to make Hikari a special breakfast because it was their last day together– Like a married couple, he thought, but he quickly banished the thought. Ever since the second crystal ball incident, he'd tried not to think about his feelings for Hikari, because the more he thought, the more confused he got. But the more he tried not to think, the more he thought...

"Aarg! I'm getting nowhere!" he yelled, throwing up his hands in frustration.

"Gale, are you okay?"

Hikari had just come in from watering her plants and was standing in the doorway, where she'd heard his uncharacteristic outburst. He nodded and went back to the eggs he was cooking. "You sure?" He nodded again. "Okay, then. If you don't feel like talking, I will. Guess what just happened?" Wizard glanced at her and shook his head. She pouted. "You're no fun. Owen just came by!" Wizard winced; Owen made him think of the crystal ball, which made him think about... Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think a–

"And what did Owen want?" he asked, to distract himself.

She giggled. "He told me he likes me! "

Wizard froze. "I-I see," he said after a pause. "And what did you say?"

"I told him how much I've always admired him," she replied dreamily, drifting to the kitchen table and sitting down. "And then–Gale, are you okay?" she asked, getting up again and heading over to him. "You look pale." She reached for his shoulder.

Wizard felt sick. "He's lying," he whispered.

She pulled back. "Wh-what?"

"He's lying," he said again, stronger this time. "He's in love with Kathy."

"But you said–"

"I lied, okay?" he choked, turning on her, the burning eggs forgotten. "I told you the almost truth. He does like you, but not in the way he thinks he does. I was trying to protect you!" he yelled, grabbing her shoulders. "Don't you understand? I didn't...I didn't want you to get hurt."

Hikari pushed him away, and he could see the pure hate in her eyes behind the tears. "Well, you failed," she choked. "It hurts now more than ever." She pointed to the door. "Get out."

"But I–"

Hikari covered her ears and started reciting Shakespeare's Macbeth at the top of her voice: "'Sometimes the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, only to betray us in deepest consequence...'"

Wizard sadly picked up his pyjamas, toothbrush, and astrology book. He gave the love of his life one last look. "I really am sorry," he whispered, his eyes stinging with tears of his own, and he disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8: Confrontation

**I'm trying to get as much as possible up by Easter because I won't have computer access starting tomorrow...fail. Again, I apologize for the short chapter. This is the second last chapter. Please review! Constructive criticism is welcome but please don't be too mean...  
*I don't own HM***

Part 8–Confrontation

"I am in control of my emotions," Wizard said to himself as he paced his one-room house. "I am in control, I am, I am..." Suddenly he sank to the floor next to his bed and began to cry. "No, I'm not...I'm sorry...Hikari, I'm so sorry!" And he dissolved into a fresh round of sobs. Finally, he pulled himself together enough to crawl into bed and under the covers, and he stayed there, his body shaking from the sheer force of the sobs, for several days.

"Owen...listen, there's something you need to know..."

Wizard sat up in bed. His cheeks were hollow, his eyes were bloodshot from three days of straight crying, and he generally looked a mess, but he knew what he had to do.

Owen couldn't sleep. How could he, when Hikari had just told him what she'd just told him? How did she know my feelings for Kathy were that strong? he thought as he stared at the dark ceiling, his muscular arms behind his head. Even I didn't realize anything until she said it!

He sighed and got out of bed. Maybe a walk will clear my head, he thought miserably as he padded quietly through Chloe and Ramsey's rooms to the front door. Can't make it any more muddled, that's for sure.

As he opened the door, there came a soft glow from near the mine cart. Curious, Owen headed for it. As it turned out, it was Wizard. Wasn't he hanging with Hikari for a while? Owen thought. He wasn't glowing then, though.

Indeed, the glow was eminating from Wizard himself, and he seemed weightless; everything that could was floating, as though he was a ghost. His eyes seemed to radiate power, and when he spoke, his voice sounded more powerful, too. "Owen," he said, "I will not let you toy with Hikari's heart any longer. You must tell her of the feelings you have for Kathy." He raised a hand crackling with energy. "Or else."

Owen blinked. Was this, like, common knowledge or something or did he just miss the memo? "Uh, actually, she already told me."

Wizard faltered. "What?"

"Yeah, this afternoon she said that she knew how I felt about Kathy even if I didn't, and that deep down, I'm just really confused. So is she, apparently, but I don't know what about."

"Gale!"

The two men looked over to see Hikari huffing and puffing across the little bridge near the general store. When she reached them, she had to stop and gasp for air. Obviously, she'd just run all the way up the mountain. After she'd finally gotten her wind back, she started screaming at Wizard, despite Owen's best attempts to 'shush' her. "I could see the light all the way from my farm! What were you thinking?! This isn't Owen's fault! It's hard to look inside your heart and interpret what you see." She took Wizard's hands in hers, just like she had that day in the cornfield. "Gale...let's go home."

Wizard gazed at her. "Hi...ka...ri...?" he said, as though he was just realizing who she was and what was going on, or waking up from a bad dream. Then the glow disappeared, and he dropped to the ground, Owen and Hikari barely catching him in time. 


	9. Chapter 9: Love?

**Blaaaaah I just realized I put another Star Trek moment in the last chapter... (fail)  
Um I also don't own Macbeth even though I quoted it last chapter. Forgot to mention that.  
This is the end of it! The ending is very cheesy but I like it! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and added this to their favourites!  
~Editor-nee-chan  
*P.S. I still don't own Harvest Moon.***

Part 9–Love...?

Wizard moaned and sat up woozily, but it hurt his head, so he dropped back down again.

"You're awake!" Hikari popped up next to his bed. "Great! Want some coffee?"

The mention of his favourite drink brought a small smile to his face, so he sat up and did his best to ignore the pain. "Yes...please...where...am I?"

"My house," Hikari said, heading to the coffeepot in the kitchen and pouring them both a cup. "After you fainted, Owen helped me carry you down; we figured it would be best if someone watched you."

"Owen! Is he–"

"He and Kathy are getting married in a week."

Wizard searched her face, but found no unhappiness there, so he simply nodded and took the coffee. There was an awkward pause while they both sipped–hers with extra cream and sugar, his black. Finally, she broke the silence.

"So about that time I jumped into your crystal ball," she began. Wizard nodded and listened. "I kind of already knew about my feelings for you–" He sputtered and tried to jump in, but she held up a hand. "Let me finish. I kind of knew, but I wasn't sure. I thought if I jumped into it, I could read my heart and figure it out, and read your heart and see how you felt about...me." Wizard gazed at her slack-jawed, the coffee growing cold in his hands. "It didn't work, but as it turned out, I didn't need magic powers to read your heart. It was in the little looks, smiles, nods, the way you said things, that I figured that you liked me but hadn't quite figured it out yet. I saw that you needed to be more outgoing, so I staged that water fight."

Another brief pause. "If I could read hearts, you know what I think yours would be like?" He shook his head. "It would be a butterfly: beautiful, but fragile. It would be coloured very pale, except for the pink." Wizard ducked his head to hide his blush.

"Gale...what I was going to tell you about Owen that day was that I admired him, but didn't love him. But you jumped to conclusions and overreacted, and when you said you'd been lying to me, I kind of overreacted too." There was a very short silence, then she reached out and tilted his chin up with a finger. "Gale...I..." She leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss.

It was over as suddenly as it had begun. Wizard, beet red, looked up at the rancher he loved, who was turning a lovely shade of pink. She swallowed. "I...I'm not sure that actually happened."

"M-me neither," he whispered. "We'd better try it again, then."

They leaned toward each other again, and Wizard knew he would never be alone again.


End file.
